Contributions

[Guy Heaton]

Just to let all you lovely folk know the 'pictures and jottings' section of our website is still crying out for contributions from enthusiasts who would like to add their ideas and thoughts about fossil collecting. You can contact us through the site to add your contribution.

We're looking to inform about fossils and educate as an addition to the sales side so the site can become a useful information source. Who better to provide information than those who are passionate about the subject? Please take a look at www.finefossils.com and look for 'pictures and jottings.' We really look forward to hearing from you.

[Harry Pristis]

Just to let all you lovely folk know the 'pictures and jottings' section of our website is still crying out for contributions from enthusiasts who would like to add their ideas and thoughts about fossil collecting. You can contact us through the site to add your contribution.

We're looking to inform about fossils and educate as an addition to the sales side so the site can become a useful information source. Who better to provide information than those who are passionate about the subject? Please take a look at www.finefossils.com and look for 'pictures and jottings.' We really look forward to hearing from you.

I enjoyed browsing your site for a few minutes, Guy -- lots of very nice, very expensive fossils there.

You have a Moroccan Carcharodontosaurus tooth on your site, and you note that,

Carcharodontosaurus means "Fish Lizard", named after the extinct shark Carcharodon.

You should know that "carcharo-" is a prefix from the Greek meaning "jagged" (or "serrated"). "Carcharodontosaurus" means "jagged tooth lizard."

Unless you know what was in the mind of the author, the genus name "Carcharodontosaurus" has nothing to do with the shark except for sharing this Greek prefix.

Edited January 15, 2010 by Harry Pristis

[siteseer]

I enjoyed browsing your site for a few minutes, Guy -- lots of very nice, very expensive fossils there.

You have a Moroccan Carcharodontosaurus tooth on your site, and you note that,

Carcharodontosaurus means "Fish Lizard", named after the extinct shark Carcharodon.

You should know that "carcharo-" is a prefix from the Greek meaning "jagged" (or "serrated"). "Carcharodontosaurus" means "jagged tooth lizard."

Unless you know what was in the mind of the author, the genus name "Carcharodontosaurus" has nothing to do with the shark except for sharing this Greek prefix.

Harry,

Actually, I believe when Ernst Stromer described Carcharodontosaurus, he was referring to the fact that the serrations on the teeth resembled those of the shark Carcharodon. He wasn't just building the name from component combining forms. I would have to confirm that with the original description but I did read that somewhere.

[Harry Pristis]

Harry,

Actually, I believe when Ernst Stromer described Carcharodontosaurus, he was referring to the fact that the serrations on the teeth resembled those of the shark Carcharodon. He wasn't just building the name from component combining forms. I would have to confirm that with the original description but I did read that somewhere.

Well, then maybe we DO know what was in the mind of the author. Wikipedia provided this along with a citation to the 1931 paper by Stromer (in German).

...Carcharodontosaurus fossils were first found by Charles Depéret and J. Savornin in the Continental intercalaire of Algeria (dating to the Albian stage) in 1927. Originally called Megalosaurus' saharicus[8] (many theropods were once erroneously referred to as Megalosaurus), its name was changed in 1931 by Ernst Stromer von Reichenbach to that used today. Stromer named Carcharodontosaurus "for its mainly Carcharodon-like teeth", which were "not recurved, almost bilaterally symmetrical but with convex edges."...

Sorry, Guy, I didn't give Stromer enough credit for imagination.